Spring winding device



Oct. 16, 1951 c. HILL ET AL SPRING WINDING DEVICE Filed Nov. 2'7, 1944 I N V EN TORS. CHHRL E5 H/LL BQMKLES K; JOHNS Patented Oct. 16, 1951 SPRING WINDING DEVICE Charles Hill, Reno, Nev., and Charles K. Johns, New York, N. Y., assignors to Hil-Jon Safety Crown Corporation, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 27, 1944, Serial No. 565,342

3 Claims.

1 This invention relates to a winding device and in particular to one made particularly for use in small watches.

A particular object of the invention is to arrange such a device within the crown of a small watch so that a minimum number of parts will be necessary, these parts may be assembled with ease, and can be properly fitted to the minute structure of fine watches where space is at a premium.

Still further objects of the invention reside in the provision of means for preventing overwinding of a watch spring, strain on the main sprin stripping of the winding gears, the rupture of connected parts within the watch and the complete housing of said means within the crown or winding collet which renders the parts dust proof and substantially sealed within the crown without in any way changing the appearance of the watch or necessitating a change in the shape of the crown itself.

Due to the fact that watches for wrist wear, and particularly the type worn by women are of such small dimensions, any conventional declutching member cannot be used to disconnect the winding parts and in the present invention we present a novel structure that can be placed inside the hollow crown, can employ a friction disk which may be readily secured to the winding member and one which can be adjustably tensioned to do the work involved in watches of various sizes. The invention does not interfere in any way with the mechanism of the watch and prevents the frequent need of vital repairs.

Still further objects of the invention include the reversibility of the parts for use under different watch structures and conditions; the use of a plate member within the crown whose variation in thickness may be employed to tension the winding friction disk and the means of shaping the friction disk so that varying areas of friction surface may be obtained. Further, is

the fact that the winding crown and its means of attachment to the winding shaft of the watch may be made as a unit to be fitted to any watch in use, the crown piece being made up separately. By preventing overwinding of the watch spring the teeth in the main spring barrel and in the center wheel are not damaged and breaking loose of the spring from the barrel is guarded against.

With these and other objects in view, the invention comprises certain constructions hereinafter described and then particularly pointed out in the claims, and a preferred embodiment of our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a crown winding device partly shown in section,

Figure 2 is a view of the crown parts of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a view in section of a crown showing the parts reversed with respect to the crown,

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of part of a friction disk,

Figure 6 is a plan view of another form of the invention,

Figure 7 is a view in sectional elevation of the crown shown in Figure 6.

Referring to the drawing in detail, i0 indicates in outline, the usual winding shaft of a watch through the medium of which the main spring is wound when the crown piece is rotated, the watch structure forming no part of the present invention except as an illustration of the application thereto of our novel winding crown, which is made as a separate unit to be applied to any make of watch, particularly small wrist watches in which the crown must be made extremely small. The winding crown comprises a stem ll bored or threaded interiorly or exteriorly at its end l2 to be secured to the upper end of the winding shaft ill of the watch.

Essentially, our invention involves the use of driving and driven elements so arranged within the crown cap that they may be inserted in two different ways, oneof which is illustrated in the Figures 1 and 2. This method involves drilling a hole in the crown piece, but the preferred form eliminates the use or rather the necessity of drilling this hole, it being understood that when our device is applied to very small watches, the problem of assembling the parts and drilling, that would weaken them, must be dispensed with. However there are cases in which the form of the invention shown in Figures 1 and 2 is essential and as this type is used in the parent application referred to, its use here being to show the use of reversed construction possible. The stem II is provided with an integral driven plate l3 having either a single or a number of studs l4 projecting from the upper face thereof, as seen in Figure l, for engagement with the holes 15 in the friction disk I6, which holes may be in the nature of conical depressions or blank holes if desired. As shown in Figure 2, the holes or depressions !1 may be in the upper face of the driven plate l8 for engagement by the conical projections that are formed adjacent the periphery of the friction disk 19 as at 20.

The parts are housed within the crown 22 which is open at the top and presents an an- L nular shoulder or ledge 23 bordering said opening, which shoulder forms a support for a driving plate 24 which seats on the shoulder and is secured thereto by the peening or burnishing over of the rim edge or flange 25. The opposite side of the crown 22 is provided with a central opening through which the stem ll depends to be attached to the winding shaft Hi. The outer surface of the crown is knurled as at 26 to give the usual finger grip for winding. When the driving plate 24 is seated on the shoulder 23 it tensions the disk 19, to which it is attached as by the rivet 27, so that peripheral friction areas 30 of the friction disk will turn the driven plate i3 to wind the spring of the watch until such time as the wound resistance of the watch spring is greater than the tractive effort exerted by the disk on the plate l3, at which time relative slippage between the disk and the plate will occur and an audible warning will be sounded by the a clicking action of the projections and depres- SlOIiS.

The friction disk is may be circularly domed as .in Figures 1, 2 and 3 or may be diametrically ridged as at 32 in Figure 4, for all the forms of the invention. The friction area as illustrated in Figure diagrammatically, may vary in accordance with the pressure placed on the disk. The tension or temper of the disk is such that while the friction area may have a width A under one condition, 'it will be increased to provide a greater area B is pressed down the amount B. The difference .in the friction driving force can be varied by adjusting the thickness of the driven plate.

In .Figures "3 and 4., the crown 35 is closed on top as at 36 and open at the bottom. The crown is closed by a keeper plate 37 which is force fitted or otherwise secured in place on an annularfseat 33 formedin the open bottom side of the crown 35. The keeper plate is provided with a central opening 39 through which extends the stem 40 of the driven plate til, the latter coacting with a friction disk 132 which is secured to the closed top 36 of the crown by the headed end of a rivet projection 33 formed integrally with the crown 35. The cooperating projections 44 of the disk and seats 45 of the plate provide the warning click when the watch spring is wound. While the warning is audible, sensitive fingers can feel the clicking action of the parts, through the gripping contact of the fingers on the crown. The crown 35 is the driving element in this form of the invention or .rather it actuates the friction disk directly .and

not through any intermediate plate member, and does :not have an extra drilled .hole for the'pas- .sage of the stem 4|]. 7

In the form of the invention as shown in Fig-- .ures 6 and '7, the crown 60 has a central opening in the bottom thereof as at El through which exthe positions shown in full lines in Figure 6,

but when the watch spring is fully wound, the resistance thereof will cause the yield of the spring 56 to permit a stationary position of the plate 53 as illustrated in outline at *68, while the -winding movements of the crown andspring continue as permitted by the slight distortion of the spring 66. The plate 63 is held in position against the bottom of the crown by a keeper plate 63 whose bevelled edge 10 is engaged by the peened over rim of the crown as at H to hold the keeper plate on the shoulder 12 provided therefor in the upper edge of the crown. In this form of the invention the parts may be reversed to occupy the same relative positions that the parts occupy in Figure 3, that is with the crown inverted and closed at the top and the keeper plate 69 provided with a hole to permit passage of the stem 62. The crown is in the shape of a hollow cup, and-when the closure plate is put on the crown it places the disk under tension.

It is evident therefore that we have provided a winding crown construction that may be built into watches during their manufacture or may be manufactured as separate units for fitting or replacement on any make of watch.

Ciur invention is not to be restricted to the precise details of construction shown since var-- ious changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scopeof the invention or sacrificing the advantages derived from its use.

This application is a continuation-impart of our application Serial Number 499,234, filed August 19, 194.3, for Spring Winding Device, now abandoned.

What we is;

1. In a spring actuated device, the combinawith a stem operable to wind said spring, of a sieeve member attachable to .the stem and presenting an integral driven plate portion, a Winding crown cup member having .an openingatone side through which said sleeve member-extends, an annular shoulder and a flange formed in the opposite side of said cupmember, a driving plate arranged to rest on said annular shoulder and be secured thereto by the flange when the latter is turned inwardly, a friction disk fitting within said crown member, means .for securing said disk to said driving plate, thedisk being arranged-for frictional engagement with said driven plate,

and. said disk having a centraldepressed portion and being tempered to provide a flat friction driving surface adjacent its periphery for yieldable driving engagement with said driven plate portion.

2. .In aspring actuated device, the combination with a stem operable to Wind-said spring of a sleeve member attachable to the stem and :presenting an integral driven plate portion, a winding crown cup member having anopening-at one side through Which said sleeve member extends,

an annular shoulder and a flange formed in the opposite side of said cup member, a driving plate arranged to rest on said annular shoulder, means for securing said plate to said crown cup memher, .a friction disk fitting withinsaid crown cup member, means for securingthe disk to said driving plate, the disk being arranged for frictional engagement with said driven plate, and said disk having a central "depressed portion and being tempered to provide a flat friction driving sur- 5 extends, an annular shoulder and flange formed in the opposite side of said cup member, a driving plate arranged to rest on said shoulder, means for securing said plate to the crown cup member, a friction disk fitting within said crown cup member means for securing the disk to said driving plate, the disk being arranged for frictional engagement with said driven plate, said disk having a central depressed portion and being tempered to provide a flat friction driving surface adjacent its peripheral edge for yieldable drivingengagement with said driven plate portion, and coacting detent means in the driving surface of said friction disk and in said driven plate portlon.

CHARLES HILL.

CHARLES K. JOHNS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 361,597 Rohrandtz Apr. 19, 1887 533,394 Mosher Jan. 29, 1895 680,067 Phillips 1 Aug. 6, 1901 1,167,285 Flogland Jan. 4, 1916 2,311,230 Hill Feb, 16, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 171,082 Switzerland Nov. 1, 1934 202,279 Switzerland Apr. 1, 1939 208,577 Switzerland May 1, 1940 218,689 Switzerland Apr. 1, 1942 

